Opportunities
by Xx.LoveIsABlessing.xX
Summary: #10 of the 100 Themes writing challenge. Yes it's out of order but I'm a little stuck on number 9 and they don't have to be done in order, so it's all good ya'll. I'll have number 9 up soon though, just gotta figure out what I'm gonna do for it.


**#10 : Opportunities**

18 year old Ty Baldwin checked the mailbox at the end of his family's driveway, as he did every morning before school. His senior year of high school would be over in just one month and now everyone was pressuring him to tell them which college he was going to go to.

He honestly didn't know what to tell them. Sure, he'd applied to a few schools and each one of them had accepted him, but unless he got a big scholarship from one of them he wouldn't be able to go. His family couldn't afford to put him through college. All year he'd been hoping his skills as a pitcher would get him a scholarship, but so far he hadn't heard anything and it was really starting to stress him out.

Grabbing the mail, Ty jogged back up to the house and went inside, heading to the kitchen. He flipped through the mail as he walked and raised an eyebrow at an official looking envelope that had his name on it and the crest for the University of Virginia.

Pulling out the letter, Ty handed the rest of the mail to his dad and went to take a seat at the table.

"What's that, Ty?" His mother, Karen, asked him as she sat a plate of breakfast down in front of him.

"I'm not sure yet." Ty said as he carefully tore open the envelope. He pulled out the letter that was inside and read over it.

His parents watched him curiously and both raised an eyebrow as his eyes widened in shock and he leapt up from his chair with a whoop.

"What is it?" Karen asked.

"The University of Virginia is offering me a full ride! Look!" Ty excitedly handed over the letter to his mother, who scanned over it quickly and her mouth dropped open at the amount of the scholarship Ty would be recieving.

"Look at this, Brad." She said and handed her husband the letter.

Ty grinned happily as his dad's eyes got wide when he saw what Karen had seen.

"Son, that's more than a full ride. They're practically paying you to go there." Brad said as he handed the letter back to Ty.

"This is unbelievable. I can't wait 'til Amy sees this!" Ty said excitedly as he carefully folded the letter and put it back into the safety of the envelope.

"She applied to that school too, didn't she?" Brad asked.

Ty nodded, "And got accepted."

"Good. You two can study together." Brad said with a nod. He calmly took a bite of his breakfast as Ty turned to his own, biting into a piece of bacon.

"Do you know what your major will be?" Karen asked.

Ty shook his head, "I haven't given that any real thought. I guess I need to figure that out now, huh?"

"You have a booklet for this school, make sure that you look through it." Karen advised her son and he nodded.

"Yes ma'am. I'll go grab it real quick and take it with me to school. I can flip through it in study hall." Ty hopped up and jogged up to his room, going to his dresser where most of the booklets he'd gotten for colleges were. He rifled through the small pile until he found the one he needed, the thickest one in the stack, and headed back downstairs, stuffing it into his backpack when he got back into the kitchen.

"This is exciting. You'll need to reply to them soon and tell them you want to take their offer." Brad said.

Ty nodded, "I can do that today. There's a copy of this letter for me to sign, I'll send it off after school."

"The sooner the better." Karen told him. She was so excited about the prospect of her son going to college.

Ty grinned, "I know." He turned back to his breakfast and ate quickly, eager to go pick Amy up before school and show her the letter he'd gotten, the scholarship his baseball career had earned him.

"Slow down, no reason to choke yourself." Brad warned him.

Ty swallowed a gulp of his orange juice, "Can't help it." He slowed down his pace, but still finished his meal and was out the door with a yell of "Bye! Love ya'll!" in less than fifteen minutes.

Brad shook his head at his son, "That boy has far too much energy."

Karen laughed, "College ball will work it out of him." She assured her husband.

Brad chuckled, "I don't know about that, he may be more than that coach can handle."

_**#10O**_

Pulling up outside Amy's, Ty grinned as she came outside and got into his truck.

"You're here amazingly early. Did coach call an early practice or something?" Amy asked as she buckled her seatbelt.

Ty reversed the truck and turned it around before answering her, "What would you say to dating one of the pitchers for the University of Virginia?"

Amy blinked at him in confusion.

Ty grinned at her and handed her his letter, "Well honey get ready because that's what you're about to be doing."

Amy read over the letter and her eyes widened, "Ty! This is amazing! You're going to be playing baseball for a college team!"

He laughed happily as he pulled out of the drive and onto the road, "I couldn't believe it when I read it! I had to reread it before it really sank in."

"Oh Ty! I'm so proud of you!" Amy said excitedly as she handed him back his letter and he smiled at her.

"Thanks, Ames. I'm so relieved that this came, I was starting to get scared that I wasn't going to get to go to college at all." He admitted.

Amy tilted her head, "Why wouldn't you get to go to college?"

"Money." Ty answered.

"Oh. Yeah I understand that." Amy said and sighed. She was in the same boat. Without the big scholarship that she'd earned, and a few more smaller ones, she'd never be able to attend college, either. She'd caught a break, just like Ty just had, and been invited to join the University of Virginia's equestrian team.

Ty reached over and took her hand, lifting it to his lips and kissing it, "Looks like we're both going to the University of Virginia."

Amy smiled at him lovingly, "Wouldn't have it any other way."

Ty smiled softly, keeping his eyes forward as he drove, "Neither would I."


End file.
